Printing press ink control means



Aug. 29, 1950 c. WEBER ETAL PRINTING PRESS INK CONTROL MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 23, 1947 INVENTOIU Campus WE ER v RICHARD BIscI-m Alli/7W 320%,, $1950 c; WEBER ET AL mmmc PRESS m: CONTROL MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23, 194'? T45) VACUUM SOURCE Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Charles Weber, New York, and BichardBisgen,

Springfield Gardens, 1N.

Application 111116 23, 1947, Serial No. 756,356

This invention relates to new and useful :immovements in printing presses, and, :more particularly, aims to provide an automatic means for controlling the operation of the printing press in regard to the ink supply, whereby when a sheet to be printed fails to arrive properly at a pickup position to advance the sheet to the printing couple for a printing operation "the press may continue operating but ink is no longer Iedirom the ink reservoir.

The invention has been made with the idea of supplying an improvement to the 'Mi'ehl'e Vertical Press; although, as will be understood, the lnven tion may be applied to any printing press, rotary or flat bed. The well known Mi-ehle "Vertical Press, made by the Miehle Printing Press 81 Man ufacturing 00., of Chicago, Ill., is a hat bed printing press, in which the flat bed is vertical and vertically reciprocated, and in which each sheet to be printed is advanced from the delivery table to a feed board, and thence is guided for travel around a, large intermittently rotating cylinder forming with the bed the printing couple.

In said press, said cylinder is vertically bodily moved and rotates as it descends; the arranges merit being such that during such cylinder des-.. cent the face of the sheet to be printed i'ollingl-y advances relative to the type, etc, in the bed, until, when the cylinder has reached its point of lowest descent and the bed has fully risen, the tail end of the sheet receives its printing impresslon from the bottom limit of the type, etc, in the chase on the bed. Meanwhile, the lead: ing portions of the sheet have been guided to continue around the cylinder, for clear-away therefrom and then for travel upward around the cylinder for take all to the stack location for printed sheets.

The Miehle Vertical Press, like many others, has an ink supply reservoir known as the foune tain; such reservoir for inking a roller known as the fountain roller. From the latter the ink is transferred to the ductor roller, and thence to a series of rollers known as the vibrator and isuter rollers, one of the latter of which inks the type, etc, locked in the chase on the bed as the latter descends following each printing, during a properly timed interval in the operating cycle of the press.

What is known as a fountain lever is provided, which rocks once back and forth during each operating cycle of the press; and each such oscillation of the fountain lever causes a pawl on the end of the same to have a travel relative to a ratchet on an end of the fountain roller.

5 Claims. (Cl. 101*357 he ratchet may be manually set relative to the full Working throw of the 'pawl, so that more or less of such throw will be idle, and con se'quen'tly the fountain roller will he turned a greater or a smaller fraction of a full revolution, at each printing operation, that is, with the ratchet having teeth around only a part of its circumference, the ratchet may be manually set to cause a larger or smaller number of its teeth to lie in the :path of the working "movement et the pawl.

The present invention does not concern itself wi h the arrangement 1as +ciescribed; instead, whet accomplished by the present invention is an instantaneously effective and automatic prcvention of any rotation of the fountain roller, thereby instantaneously to out off the ink supply, the moment an automatic detector functions. which functioning occurs when a sheet to be printed fails to arriv in proper position for ad Yancement to the printing "couple.

The detector of the present invent-ion is a pneumatic one, operating on the suction principle, which suction is maintained under normal peration of he ress, as by a ower driven vacuum pump. A pneumatic detector ior im proper sheet feed, and one operating on the suctiOn hrinoiple and by the use of a power fdriven vacuum ump. has heretofore been used in the printing press art, to disconnect the power drive of the press from the main driving shaft of the latter when improper sheet feed is detected. But the stoppage of a heavy printing pr ss is not instantaneous, even with automatic brakes opera tive relative to the flywheel. Thus it may be that the ink supply is not out off promptly enough to avoid undesirable addition of ink to the fountain roller, with the resultant risk of summing the ink, on the one or more rollers of the ink supply means, plus ink wastage.

According to the present invention, as applied to the Miehle press aforesaid, the instant improper sheet feed is detected, the fountain lever and its pawl are rendered inoperative, so that beginning with that instant no more ink will be fed, even though at that instant a point has been reached in the operating cycle of the pres at which the fountain lever is rocking to cause its pawl to act on the fountain roller rat chet For further comprehension of the invention, and 0f the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanyin drawing, and. to the appended laims which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a sufficiently detailed perspective view of the pertinent working parts of a standard Miehle Vertical Press, this view looking toward the front of the press, with various non-pertinent parts broken away and other shown in dot and dash; but with the mechanism of the present invention not illustrated.

Fig. 2 is a detail view, also in perspective, showing on an enlarged scale the left front lower corner of the printing press, and, particularly, parts of the ink fountain and fountain lever, and, also, parts of the new mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a further enlarged view, showing a part of the fountain lever and an associated part of the new mechanism; this view being also in perspective. but looking toward the left in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is largely a schematic yet partly a structural view showing the parts just mentioned in connection with Fig. 3, and also showing complementary parts of the new mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, showing certain of the parts seen in Fig. 4, operatively associated with a sheet being fed to the printing couple.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view, showing more clearly that part of the new mechanism illustrated inFig. 3 as located to the right of the fountain lever and a cam plate carried thereby.

Fig. 7 is an axial longitudinal section taken through the said part. i

Fig. 8 is a detail view, in perspective, partially broken away and partially in section, to show more clearly the part of the mechanism shown inFig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a view illustrating the fountain lever, its ratchet, the fountain roller, its pawl, and certain other standard operating parts of the printing press as well also as a part of the lower front wall of the press seen in Fig. 1, such wall being shown in section.

Fig. 10 is a view, partially schematic and partially structural, showing an addition to and an amplification of the arrangement of Fig. 4, for a useful purpose hereinafter to become clear.

The Miehle Vertical Press is well known all over the world, and for a full understanding of the present invention it need merely be pointed out that of the parts shown in Fig. 1, l indicates the bed, suitably guided for vertical reciprocation between two side standards H of the press, I2 is the flywheel, M the braking means therefor, and the large cylinder forming part of the printing couple.

" In Fig. l, the large cylinder I5 is shown as at the bottom of its path of bodily travel vertically up and down.

Said cylinder is also seen in Fig. 5, here indicated in dot and dash, as at the top limit of its said bodily travel.

Still referring to familiar parts of the Miehle press, as shown in Fig. l, the ink fountain It includes a fountain roller behind and in contact with which is the ductor roller l8. In addition to the rollers l1 and I8, Fig. 1 shows other familiar inclusions in the ink conveying system, these a vibrator roller l9 and a distributer roller 20.

The stack 2| of sheets to be fed for printing is carried by the delivery table 2|, which latter by means not shown but Well known in the art is at intervals slightly elevated automatically so as always to maintain the top sheet of the stack at the proper height required for takeoff, for delivery first to the feed board 22 and thence to the cylinder |5. A pair of oscillating arms, pivoted at their bottoms, one of which arms is shown at 23 in Fig. 1 (both being seen in Fig. 5), are connected at their tops by a pivotally hung bar 24 having gripper means for seizing the top sheet of the stack 2| near the forward end of said sheet.

The feed board 22 is connected at the opposite ends of its forward side, in a manner not shown, to the up and down movable carriage, also not shown, on which the cylinder I5 is mounted for its familiar up and down bodily movement; the arrangement being such that when the cylinder is high up in its vertical travel, as indicated in dot and dash in Fig. 5, the feed board is in a position to have deposited on its forward end the forward portion of the sheet-being swung from the stack 2| by the bar 24.

l The sheet having been deposited on the feed board22, it is suitably gripped below a bar 22 carried by the feed board; and immediately thereafter, the forward portion of the sheet, at that instant released from such grip, is advanced by an auxiliary feeding device not shown for partial extension around the cylinder l5, whereupon said cylinder starts its descent, while now rotating sufficiently to advance the sheet around it to cause the latter to be fully printed.

The fountain lever 26 is seen in Fig. 9, wherein it is noted that the top end carries the pawl 21 for coaction with the ratchet 28 at one end of the fountain roller H. The lower portion of the fountain lever 26 is curved like a claw, and it is seen in Figs. 1 and 9 as issuing from an-upper cut-out 29 and then as inwardly directed toward a lower cut-out 30 in the lower front wall 3| of the press, see also Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 9, the relation of the fountain lever 26 to the said front wall 3| and its cut-outs 29 and 30 will be noted; and in this view the familiar mounting and actuating means for said lever are more or less schematically shown. The lever 26 is rockably mounted on a cross rod 32. .Above said rod the lever has a forwardly extending arm 33 carrying a roller 34 acting as a follower for the cam 35 fixed on the shaft 36 driven from the main driving shaft of the press. The roller 34 is held against said cam by a spring 31.

. In Fig. 9 are also seen the pawl 21, and the ratchet 28 on the fountain roller H; the pin of the journal for an end of said roller being indicated at 38, and a hub 0n the ratchet at 39, said hub sleeved on said pin, whereby the ratchet is manually turnable relative to the roller for adjustment and setting in a manner well known in the art and for a purpose already explained. As the parts are shown in Fig. 9, the ratchet has been adjusted so that following the next forward throw of the pawl 21 (the fountain lever 26 being shown in retracted position), the pawl will have some idle travel before entering into hook engagement with a tooth of the ratchet, thereby to rotate the fountain roller less than the maximum extent possible on the next retraction stroke of the lever.

Referring now to Figs. 2-7, and more particularly to the pneumatically operating mechanism of the invention, a cam plate 40 is secured to the curved lower portion of the fountain lever 26, at its right hand side as seen in Fig. 3.

Opposite the lower lateral extension from the plate'40 is fixed a small cylinder 4| integral with a base 42 having lugs 43 by means of which this part of the mechanism is attached to the front wall 3| of the press.

The cylinder 4| has a main bore 44, coaxial with which is a minor bore 45 through an integral end wall of the cylinder. A piston 46 slidable in the bore 44 has a cupped rear end 41 and carries. integrally at its forward end a pin 48 which projects through the minor bore 45. A gasket 49 is placed between the adjacent faces of the piston 46 and the end wall of the cylinder 4|, as shown in Fig. '7.

The rear portion of the main bore 44 is integrally threaded for receiving a closing screw plug 5|], the inner end of the shank of which plug is cupped as indicated t 5|. A light expandable coil spring 52 has its opposite ends in the cups 4? and El and is adjustable for tension by turning the plug 53, and such adjustment is held by a lock nut 53.

With the parts of Fig, 9 merely those so far described, the pin 48 would always be held projected by the spring 52, for engaging the cam plate 4t and so preventing oscillation of the fountain lever 25, thus completely cutting off the ink supply, even though the press continued operating; this last being permitted due to the fact that the spring 3'! can yield whenever the high lobe f the cam 35 passes beyond the follower 34.

However, the interior of the cylinder 4| is so connected to the vacuum source, as will be explained in a moment, that, with the press operating, and a sheet of the stack 2| in proper feeding position relative to a suction cup feed-positiondetector, the vacuum in the cylinder 4| will overcome the spring 52, and so hold the pin 48 retracted, and therefore said pin will not lie in the path of the cam plate 49 on the fountain lever 26. Said suction cup detector is shown at 54 in Figs. 4, 5 and 8. The detector 54 is hollow inside, with an open mouth at its bottom, this month positioned to rest on a feed sheet as soon as the latter has been advanced by a forward stroke of the arms 23 to rest the sheet in proper position on the feed board 22 preparatory to take-off from the latter to the cylinder l5. Such a sheet is indicated at S in Fig. 4. If the sheet is thus advanced to the feed board for proper positioning thereon, the interior of the detector 54 is barred by the sheet material from communication with the atmosphere through an L-shaped passage 55 in the feed board 22; otherwise the vacuum will be broken,

As shown most clearly in Fig. 8, the detector 54 is carried on the bar 22' of the feed board 22,

by a bracket 56, the detector being positioned on said bar exactly at the height required for operation as just pointed out.

Said detector 54 is connected, by a nipple 51 at one side thereof, to a vacuum pump or other source of air under negative pressure, by a tubing 58; and said detector is connected by a nipple 59 on the other side thereof to a tubing 60.

The tubing 69 is connected to the interior of the fountain lever supervising small cylinder 4|, by

the spring 51 (Fig. 7) would extend the pin 48 into the path of the cam plate 40 on the fountain lever 2 B, whereupon, instantly, ink feeding would be absolutely stopped. Should the sheet S, how'- ever, be properly delivered to the feed board 22, the vacuum bleed line to the atmosphere through the passage 55 in the feed board would be closed by the sheet s, and operation of the ink supply means would not be interrupted.

In Fig. 4 a pictorially indicated gap 65 will be noted in the tubing 59. Fig. 4 has been described as though such gap were a mere convenience in aid of the drawing. But its purpose was to permit the foregoing simplified description of a certain operation of the detector 54. Special mechanism, of the kind shown in Fig. 10, is, however, essential.

Referring now to said Fig. 10, this illustrates a further feature of the invention, for interposition, as shown in this view, between the two sections of the tubing 60 shown separated in Fig. 4 at the gap 65. This further feature of the invention is for predeterminedly releasing the vacuum in the suction cup detector 54, to free the latter from suction grip on the sheet S- of Fig. 4 and so allow that sheet to be advanced to the cylinder l5, yet to prevent this loss of vacuum by the detector 54 from breaking the vacuum in the fountain lever supervising small cylinder 4!.

interposed between the two sections of the tubing 59 meeting at the gap 65 of Fig. 4 is a valve device, as shown in Fig. 10, and marked generally B5. The section of the tubing 69 which in Fig. 4 extends downwardly to the gap 65, and the section of the tubing 69 which in Fig. 4 extends downwardly from the gap 65, are marked 60* and 60*, respectively, in Fig. 10; said section 60 being shown as present in two lengths connected by way of two of the three arms of a Y-shaped coupling 67. Thus, in Fig. 10, by way of the valve device 56, the equivalent of the tubing 60 extends from the suction cup detector 54 to the fountain lever cylinder 4|.

The valve 66 has therein a reciprocating piston 68. Against the tension of the spring 69, the valve member 68 is held in its full line position by a cam 10, through a follower ii on a rod 12 secured to the piston 68. Cam ill is fixed on a shaft 73 rotating in properly timed relation with the main driving shaft of the press.

For the time interval in the operating cycle of the press during which the detector 54 is to perform its supervisory work in regard to the sheet S of Fig. 4, the valve parts of Fig. 10 are maintained as shown in full lines. A fraction of an instant before the sheet S is to be passed on from the feed board 22, the high lobe of the cam 70 passes beyond the follower ii. The spring 69 now urges the valve member 68 to the right in Fig. 10, breaking communication between the tubing sections 60 and 63 and simultaneously placing into communication a tubing 74 between the vacuum source and the interior of the valve device 66, while opening said interior to a tubing 15 going to the Y-shaped coupling 61 and so to the cylinder 4|.

Thus the suction cup detector 54 is periodically made inoperative as required, and on each sheet feeding, yet the cylinder 4| has its vacuum nevertheless maintained; but if the vacuum in the detector 54 is ever broken during attempt by the latter to perform its intended'position checking function relative to a sheet advanced to the feed board 22, the cylinder 4| functions as intended by the invention.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a printing press having a feed board for conveying a sheet of paper to be printed from a stack of sheets to printing rollers and a pivotally mounted fountain lever arranged to be pivoted once for each operation of the feed board to control rotations of a fountain roller for inking the printing rollers, means for holding the fountain lever against pivoting to prevent inking of the printing rollers when a sheet of paper is improperly fed or not fed to the printing rollers by the feed board, comprising a cam plate mounted on the side of thefountain lever to move with the fountain lever when pivoted, a cylinder mounted on a fixed portion of the press, a pin slidable through an end wall of the cylinder to be extended into the path traversed by said cam plate when moving with the pivotally mounted fountain lever, means for holding the pin in a position extended from said cylinder to be engaged by said cam plate to hold the fountain lever against pivoting, and pneumatic means controlled by proper positioning of a sheet of paper on the feed board for holding said pin in an inoperative position retracted into said cylinder against the action of said holding means leaving the fountain lever free to pivot.

2. In combination with a printing press having a feed board for conveying a sheet of paper to be printed from a stack of sheets to printing rollers and a pivotally mounted fountain lever arranged to be pivoted once for each operation of the feed board to control rotations of a fountain roller for inkin the printing rollers, means for holding the fountain lever against pivoting to prevent inking of the printing rollers when a sheet of paper is improperly fed or not fed to the printing rollers by the feed board, comprising a cam plate mounted on the side of the fountain lever to move with the fountain lever when pivoted, a cylinder mounted on a fixed portion of the press, a pin slidable through an end wall of the cylinder to be extended into the path traversed by said cam plate when moving with the pivotally mounted fountain lever, means for holding the pin in a position extended from said cylinder to be engaged by said cam plate to hold the fountain lever against pivoting, and pneumatic means controlled by proper positioning of a sheet of paper on the feed board for holding said pin in an inoperative position retracted into said cylinder against the action of said holding means leaving the fountain lever free to pivot, said holding means comprises a piston within said cylinder and to which the inner end of said pin is attached, and a spring within said cylinder having one end bearing against said piston urging it into a position in which said pin extends from said cylinder.

3. In combination with a printing press having a feed board for conveying a sheet of paper to be printed from a stack or sheets to print ing rollers and a pivotally mounted fountain lever arranged to be pivoted once for each operation of the feed board to control rotations of a fountain roller for inking the printing rollers, means for holding the fountain lever against pivoting to prevent inking of the printing rollers when a sheet of paper is improperly fed or not fed to the printing rollers by the feed board, comprising a cam plate mounted on the side of the fountain lever to move with the fountain lever when pivoted, a cylinder mounted on a fixed portion of the press, a pin slidable through an end wall of the cylinder to be extended into the path traversed by said cam plate when moving with the pivotally mounted fountain lever, means for holding the pin in a position extended from said cylinder to be engaged by said cam plate to hold the fountain lever against pivoting, and pneumatic means controlled by proper positioning of a sheet of paper on the feed board for holding said pin in an inoperative position retracted into said cylinder against the action of said holding means leaving the fountain lever free to pivot, said holding means comprises a piston within said cylinder and to which inder to control the tension of said spring against said piston.

l. In combination with a printing press having a feed board for conveying a sheet of paper to be printed from a stack of sheets to printing rollers and a pivotally mounted fountain lever arranged to be pivoted once for each operation of the feed board to control rotations of a fountain roller for inking the printing rollers, means for holding the fountain lever against pivoting to prevent inking of the printing rollers when a sheet of paper is improperly fed or not fed to the printing rollers by the feed board, comprising a cam plate mounted on the side of the fountain lever to move with the fountain lever when pivoted, a cylinder mounted on a fixed portion of the press, a pin slidable through an end Wall of the cylinder to be extended into the path traversed by said cam plate when moving with the pivotally mounted fountain lever, means for holding the pin in a position extended from said cylinder to be engaged by said cam plate to hold the fountain lever against pivoting, and pneumatic means controlled by proper positioning of a sheet of paper on the feed board for holding said pin in an inoperative position retracted into said cylinder against the action of said holding means leaving the fountain lever free to pivot, said holding means comprises a piston within said cylinder and to which the inner end of said pin is attached, and a spring within said cylinder having one end bearing against said piston urging it into a position in which said pin extends from said cylinder, said pneumatic means comprises a detector supported above the feed board at the front end thereof, said detector having an open bottom arranged to be closed by the sheet of paper properly positioned on the feed board to seal the open bottom against communication with the atmosphere, said detector being connected with a source of vacuum, and a tube connecting said detector with said cylinder, whereby when a sheet of paper is properly p0- sitioned on the feed board for delivery to the printing rollers the sheet will seal the open bottom of the detector connecting the vacuum source to said cylinder to create a vacuum within said cylinder and draw said pin into said cylinder against the action of said holding means.

5. In combination with a printing press having a feed board for conveying a sheet of paper to be printed from a stack of sheets to printing rollers and a pivotally mounted fountain lever arranged to be pivoted once for each operation of the feed board to control rotations of a fountain roller for inking the printing rollers, means for holding the fountain lever against pivoting to prevent inking of the printing rollers when a sheet of paper is improperly fed or not fed to the printing rollers by the feed board, comprising a cam plate mounted on the side of the fountain lever to move with the fountain lever when pivoted, a cylinder mounted on a fixed portion of the press, a pin slidable through an end wall of the cylinder to be extended into the path transversed by said cam plate when moving with the pivotally mounted fountain lever, means for holding the pin in a position extended from said cylinder to be engaged by said cam plate to hold the fountain lever against pivoting, and pneumatic means controlled by proper positioning of a sheet of paper on the feed board for holding said pin in an inoperative position retracted into said cylinder against the action of said holding means leaving the fountain lever free to pivot, said holdin means comprises a piston within said cylinder and to which the inner end of said pin is attached, and a spring within said cylinder having one end bearing against said piston urging it into a position in which said pin extends from said cylinder, said pneumatic means comprises a detector supported above the feed board at the front end thereof, said detector having an open bottom arranged to be closed by the sheet of paper properly positioned on the feed board tof'seal the open bottom against communication with the atmosphere, said detector being connected with a source of vacuum, and a tube connecting said detector with said cylinder, whereby when a sheet of paper is properly positioned on the feed board for delivery to the printing rollers the sheet will seal the open bottom of the detector connecting the vacuum source to said cylinder to create a vacuum within said cylinder and draw said pin into said cylinder against the action of said holding means, and means interposed in said tube for relieving the grip of the detector on the front edge of the sheet of paper freeing the same to be advanced for printing while simultaneously connecting said cylinder directly to said vacuum source independently of said detector.

CHARLES WEBER. RICHARD BISGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,159,860 Niles Nov. 9, 1915 1,567,360 Dudley et a1. Dec. 29, 1925 

